Device for rotating and watering potted plants

• US 4,051,627 A
• Filed: 02/06/1976
• Issued: 10/04/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert G. Schilling Jr
• Original Assignee: Robert G. Schilling Jr
• Inventors: Schilling, Robert G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bratlie, Steven A.
• Application Number:
  US05/655,685
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 47/38, 47/39, 47/48.5, 47/1, 47/39, 222/214, 222/192, 222/70, 239/274, 239/279-281, 239/289, 239/327, 111/7.1, 111/7.2, 417/478
• US Class Current: 47/39
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 27/00 Self-acting watering devices, e.g. for flower-pots

Abstract

A device for automatically caring for potted plants includes a rotary support carrying a potted plant and supported by a suitable base on which there is a container for liquid to be fed to the potted plant. The rotary support is driven so as to be rotated at a speed according to which the time required for one revolution of the rotary support does not form a multiple or fraction of 24. The container for the liquid is flexible while the rotary support carries at least one cam to compress the container in order to discharge liquid out of the latter, and a feed tube extends from the container to the potted plant to deliver liquid thereto each time the cam compresses the container. A stationary tilling element is carried by the base at a position for tilling soil in a pot of a potted plant, and the rotary movement of the potted plant with the rotary support displaces soil in the potted plant with respect to the stationary tilling element so that the soil becomes tilled while the support for the potted plant turns.

Claims

1. In a device for automatically caring for at least one potted plant, rotary support means for supporting a potted plant, moving means operatively connected with said rotary support means for turning the latter, container means for containing liquid to be supplied to the potted plant, said container means having a flexible wall portion, feed-tube means communicating with said container means and extending therefrom to the potted plant for feeding liquid from said container means to the potted plant when liquid is discharged out of said container means, and at least one cam carried by said support means for movement along a predetermined path during rotary movement of said support means, said container means being situated in said path, and said cam cooperating with said container means for compressing the same for discharging liquid out of said container means through said feed-tube means to a potted plant supported by said support means

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said container means is transparent so that the amount of liquid therein can be seen.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said feed-tube means is in the form of a capillary tube while said container means has a cover sealing and closing said container means after the latter has been filled with liquid so that after each liquid-feeding time air can pass through said capillary tube into said container means to be situated above liquid therein whereby during the next compression of said container means by the cam a further amount of liquid will be fed to soil or the like in a pot supported by said support means.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a tilling means is positioned with respect to said support means for extending at least partly into soil or the like in a pot supported on said support means for tilling the soil in the pot during relative movement between the soil or the like and the tilling means.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein a base means carries a bearing means which supports said support means for rotary movement with a potted plant carried by said support means.

6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said tilling means includes an arm carried by said base means and a tined element carried by said arm and having tines for extending into soil or the like in a potted plant.

7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said arm is adjustably carried by said base means for adapting the tilling means to pots of different sizes.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein a fixing means releasably fixes said arm in an adjusted position with respect to said base means.

9. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said arm is in the form of a hollow tube, while said feed-tube means extends through said hollow tube from said container means to a location adjacent said tilling means so as to direct liquid discharged from said container means to soil or the like which has been tilled by said tilling means.